Critics slam MPAA’s latest movie rating moves

The Motion Picture Association of America is making some tweaks to its movie-rating system. The changes announced this week in Las Vegas at the movie theater industry’s CinemaCon gathering are being promoted as a way to give parents more information about potentially objectionable content – so they can make better choices about what their children watch.

But not everyone is impressed. L.A. Times staff writer John Horn says the changes are minimal and fall short of a major overhaul of the rating system that some critics have been calling for. Horn says the MPPA skirted the issue of “ratings creep.” “The real criticism is that movies that a couple of years ago would have been rated R are now rated PG13,” he said. Here’s the new “Check the Box” initiative from the MPAA.

KCRW spoke to Horn about the latest adjustments to the ratings system and how more comprehensive changes could come down the road.